Ivabradine in the Prevention, and Reduction in Size, of Perioperative Myocardial Injury in Patients Undergoing Orthopedic Surgery for Acute Fracture

Abstract

Background Perioperative myocardial injury is common after major noncardiac surgery and is associated with adverse outcomes. This study investigated the use of ivabradine in patients undergoing urgent surgery for fracture. Methods and Results This was a prospective, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized clinical trial. Participants were enrolled 1:1 into ivabradine or placebo arm, and study drug was commenced before operation and continued for 7 days or until discharge. High‐sensitivity troponin I was measured daily using Abbott Alinity analyzer and assay, and heart rate data were obtained using continuous Holter monitoring. A total of 199 patients underwent acute orthopedic surgery, 98 in the ivabradine group and 101 in the placebo group. The mean age was 78.7 years (range, 77.5–79.9 years), with 68% women. The average heart rate was 5 to 11 beats per minute lower in the ivabradine group compared with the placebo group at all time points ( P <0.001 for all). There was no statistically significant difference between the ivabradine and placebo groups in the number of patients who had perioperative myocardial injury: 28.6% versus 31.6% ( P =0.71). In patients with perioperative myocardial injury, average peak troponin was 168.8 ng/L (±431.2 ng/L) in the ivabradine group and 2094.5 ng/L (±7201.9 ng/L) in the placebo group ( P =0.16). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in 30‐day mortality, blood pressure, stroke, or major adverse cardiovascular event. Conclusions Starting ivabradine preoperatively in elderly patients requiring acute surgery for fracture did not result in a statistically significant difference in the incidence of perioperative myocardial injury. There was no statistically significant difference in morbidity, mortality, or adverse events between treatment groups. Registration URL: https://www.anzctr.org.au/ ; Unique identifier: ACTRN12616001634460p.